


Owner's Choice

by lucretia_the_director



Series: Coffee Shop AUs [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M, that's it that's the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 20:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11905830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucretia_the_director/pseuds/lucretia_the_director
Summary: When Barry started working at the hole-in-the-wall coffeeshop, the other employees had made a point of introducing him to the regulars and making sure he had their drinks memorized.No one had mentioned the (stunning) elf with the fiery red hair and the quirky grin who walked in like she owned the place and demanded he “surprise her.”





	Owner's Choice

When Barry started working at the hole-in-the-wall coffeeshop, the other employees had made a point of introducing him to the regulars and making sure he had their drinks memorized.

No one had mentioned the ( _stunning_ ) elf with the fiery red hair and the quirky grin who walked in like she owned the place and demanded he “surprise her.”

He waffled behind the machines for a long moment, the elf woman blatantly staring at him, before setting the espresso machine to work. ( _Can’t go wrong with an overly complicated latte._ )

When he brought it out to her table ( _A bit unconventional but there’s no one else here and, besides, she’s cute._ ) she grinned at him and made grabby hands. He lingered nearby while she waited for it to cool, wiping down the tables. 

His back was turned when she finally took a sip. Her, frankly, pornographic moan of delight was enough to have him dropping his washcloth and blushing as red as her hair.

“Fuck, that’s good!” she exclaimed, setting her cup down loudly and pushing her chair back as she stood. 

Barry turned and smiled at her, weakly, knees still shaking from her visceral reaction. 

“This isn't on the menu, though, is it? What’s your name?”

“I - No, it’s not. I’m sorry, I just…. It’s my favorite and you said “surprise me” and-”

“Name.”

“Barry. Please don't tell my manager. I really need this job and I don't want to get fired for serving a customer experimental cof- What are you doing? You can’t go back there.”

She had hopped the counter and was digging around underneath the register. Emerging triumphantly with a piece of chalk held above her head, she grinned at him ( _Gods she’s cute, it isn’t fair!_ ) and sauntered over to the specials board.

“Stop that!” Barry demanded as she began to scrub out the Owner’s Choice (Taako’s Toffee Coffee) with her fingers. ( _Oh no_.) “You're going to get me in trouble! No one's allowed to touch that!”

She ignored him. Staring at him as she tapped the chalk against her lips thoughtfully, she hummed. “What was in that? Chocolate, obviously. And caramel. But what else?”

“Butterscotch. Please come out from there.” 

“Nope.” She popped her “p” and laughed. After another long moment of consideration she scrawled “Barry’s Butterscotch Bliss” where “Taako’s Toffee Coffee” had been and -

The door opened and Taako himself walked in. ( _He was absolutely going to be fired, no question about it._ )

He stopped dead in the middle of the room when he caught sight of the interloper. Grinning and vaulting the counter as easily as she had, Taako draped himself over her back and pressed a smacking kiss to her cheek.

( _What?_ )

“Lulu! You're back early! You're not messing with the new kid are you?”

( _What?!_ )

“Um, yes? Would you have expected any less of me, Koko?”

( _What!?_ )

They both turned around to look at him and - ( _Huh. How had he not noticed that before? They could be twins…._ )

“You must be Ms. Lup,” Barry said faintly, leaning against a table as his trembling knees threatened to dump him on the floor. “Please don't fire me.”

( _Of all the people he could have yelled at for going behind the counter after serving them off-menu coffee it had to be Lup Taaco, co-owner and one of two people who could fire him, no questions asked_.)

She laughed at him. “You see this?” she asked, pointing over her shoulder at the edited specials board. “This is a promotion, not a pink slip, babe. It means you make better coffee than my brother here. (“Hey-!”) You're not going anywhere.

“Unless….” She leaned forward and Barry got the impression that she wasn't _trying_ to scare him but…. He stepped back, wary of the wild glint in her eye and the grin that showed a few too many teeth.

“How do you feel about Mexican food?”

She was clearly waiting for an answer and, even as Taako snickered at him, he was unable to make words come out of his mouth. He gave her a thumbs up.

“Well, I've been driving all day and I'm _starving._ Take me out to dinner, handsome?”

Barry blinked a couple times. He nodded.

Lup winked at him and swung herself back over the counter before grabbing his wrist and towing him along behind her towards the door.

Taako protested because “Lup, you can't kidnap him in the middle of his shift! I don't want to cover for him!”

Lup ignored him.

Barry grimaced back at him over his shoulder and gestured at Lup because really, what was he supposed to do?

Taako caught the apron Lup threw at him even as he continued to grumble in protest. “What the hell is even in this new coffee anyway?” he yelled after them. “Lup, bring him back here! This is very unprofessional!”

Lup laughed.

Barry couldn't help but laugh along. ( _So_ this _is what being swept off your feet felt like._ )

**Author's Note:**

> [ Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lucretia-the-director)


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